All bets on Souapiti dam as Guinea struggles to overcome supply shortfalls

15 February 2018

President Alpha Condé faces a string of elections confronted by power outages and other services shortfalls that have brought protestors back on the streets. In this difficult context the Souapiti HEP dam’s start-up could provide a major boost at national and regional levels, according to African Energy Live Data’s analysis of Guinean developments through to 2022

Another bout of load-shedding brought angry protestors onto the streets of Conakry in January. While President Alpha Condé strode the international stage in his last days as African Union chairman, clashes back home over the lack of services highlighted the extent of shortfalls in the supply of power, water and other services.* This issue was expected to feature large in local elections, which were held on 4 February after eight years of delay blamed on a range of political and economic issues, including the 2013-16 Ebola crisis.

Those polls ended in acrimony, with opposition leaders crying foul amid claims of vote-rigging across the country. Further tests are expected if legislative elections can be held as planned later this year, ahead of the next presidential election, scheduled for 2020. The government is expecting a significantly improved provision of services by then, provided projects can be implemented and financial flows maintained.

While cash-strapped utility Electricité de Guinée (EdG) struggles with its pressing immediate problems, it could seek comfort in a more promising medium-term outlook. Analysis of African Energy Live Data's project pipeline for 2018-22 suggests installed on-grid capacity will more than double, rising from 498MW in February 2018 to 1,221MW in 2022. This depends on efforts to renovate malfunctioning local plants to near installed capacity, as well as bringing new capacity into service.

A tried and tested methodology: African Energy’s researchers are constantly monitoring the sector for new data. We contact stakeholders to verify project profiles, with information subjected to a rigorous fact checking process.

Live Data subscriptions include a full suite of analytical tools to determine past, current and pipeline electricity generating capacity by ownership, connection and fuel type from 2010-2022. Subscriptions are tailored to your specific needs. To find out more or to arrange a demonstration contact Nick Dashwood Brown.T: +44 (0) 1424 721667.